Dadaloğlu | |
|---|---|
Veli | |
 Dadaloğlu's statue inKaman, Kırşehir | |
| Born | 1785 CE (approximate) |
| Died | 1868 CE (approximate) |
| Nationality | Afshar |
| Occupation | Ashik |
| Era | Ottoman |
Dadaloğlu (Veli) (1785 ?–1868 ?) was a TurkishOttoman, afolk poet-singer, known asozan (bard).
Two distinct literatures existed in the Ottoman Empire. Literature of the palace, so calleddivan literature usedOttoman Turkish, a language which extensively borrowed words and phrases fromPersian andArabic. This language was not used in daily speech and was not intelligible for most of the population. Conversely, thefolklore literature used everyday language which wasTurkish with a minimum number of words borrowed from other languages. The best known examples of folklore literature werepoems namedkoşma.[1] A special type of koşma wasvarsağı which can be described as epic koşma.
Dadaloğlu lived in the mountainous areas of southAnatolia (Nur Mountains and possiblyToros Mountains). His name was Veli. Dadaloğlu was hismahlas (pseudonym). He was a member of a nomadicTurkmen tribe namedAfshar tribe. Ottoman government in the first half of the nineteenth century decided to settle down the nomadic tribes to end the tension between the nomadic tribes and the settled people. They were given agricultural land. But most of the tribe members preferred traditional nomadic life style and struggled against the Ottoman high commander. Dadaloğlu was also in the struggle and in his varsağı poems, he reflected the feelings and the reactions of his people. In his verse,[2][3]
After a period of struggle, finally Ottoman government persuaded most of the tribes to adopt a sedentary life. The new home was in Central Anatolia. Dadaloğlu died in the village of Ziyaret Tepe inKaman district ofKirsehir Province.
Although he is known as a varsağı poet, he also produced koşmas in other types. He usually used 8 or 11 syllabic meter. As it is true with other folk poets he used his pseudonym in the last verse.
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